


Don't Let Them See You Choke

by undercover_space



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Derse/Prospit Royalty, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bows & Arrows, But so is Dirk, Derse and Prospit, Derse is a shithole, Dirk and Jake end up going on an adventure, Dirk is the prince of Derse, Dirk kisses a dead dude, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, First Meetings, Jake cries quite a lot, Jake is kind of a dick at first, Jake is the prince of Prospit, Kingdomstuck, M/M, Magic, Major Character Injury, Multi, My First AO3 Post, POV Dirk Strider, POV Jake English, POV Switches, Saving the World, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Swords & Sorcery, TW: slight homophobia due to the time period, This will be a very long story, Trust is eventually earned, Uncertainty, Violence, a little ooc, lack of trust
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:00:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24658768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undercover_space/pseuds/undercover_space
Summary: Dirk knew his kingdom was in a great deal of trouble and he had only one last hope hidden deep within the fallen kingdom of Prospit to save his people from the same fate.
Relationships: Jake English/Dirk Strider
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	Don't Let Them See You Choke

The heat was killing you as you walked in the sandy dunes. You weren’t sure how long you two have been walking for, but you wish you still had your horses right now. You don’t know why they ran off in the middle of the night last night or how they ran off, but they couldn’t have any worse timing. 

It wasn’t suited for a prince to walk in the desert after all.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How can we trust these rumors? For all we know, we’ll just waste our time and resources.” You sighed, relaxing back into your chair in irritation. You could feel Rose roll her eyes as her fingers skimmed across the books on the shelves, holding the lantern in her other hand. 

“Dirk, you don’t think I haven’t taken that into account?” She said in a cool tone as she stopped on one book, pulling it out with her index finger and resting it onto her forearm. You couldn’t see her face right now, but you were sure she was reading the cover to make sure it’s what she needed.

“Of course I don’t question your intellect, it just sounds too fucking bizarre to be true.” You leaned your head back to look up at the ceiling, looking at the stars through the glass ceiling. It was such a clear sky tonight, that was rare to see for Derse. 

“Well all legends and tales come from some form of truth,” she hummed, “and so far we know that Prospit is a real kingdom that was lost, although no one knows how humans managed to lose an entire kingdom.” 

“Maybe it was just a made-up kingdom to satisfy our growing ego’s here in Derse. It’s just another number to add to the countless kingdoms we’ve destroyed. Who would ever notice that?” You muttered as your eyes scanned the skies to see if you could point out any constellations. Roxy and Rose have tried to help you pick them out easier, but it was nearly impossible for some reason.

“If it was to fulfill our egos, why aren’t we taught about it when we are young like all the other kingdoms we’ve conquered?” She said as you could hear her opening the book to scan the contents inside as pages flipped.

“It was a failure.” Said a voice from the entrance of the library.

You perked up in your seat at the familiar voice as Rose didn’t even lift her head away from the book.

“Jane?” you asked, “What are you doing here?” You stood up before walking over towards her.

“I knew you two were up to something, so I came to see for myself what you got your noses into this time.” She huffed, crossing her arms as she glared at you. You could feel guilt pooling in your gut, feeling kind of bad you left her out of the loop. However, it was something only you wanted to burden Rose with. She was always a sucker for information.

“But I won’t tell or anything, I can tell it’s serious if you managed to sneak Dirk out of his chambers in the middle of the night. You’re just lucky Roxy didn’t pester me about it once I asked to leave earlier than usual.” She said as a small smile was placed on her lips.

“I’m surprised she isn’t tailing you. I feel like she’s more of your handmaiden than you are to her the way she worries about you.” You teased as she simply nudged your shoulder gently with a small snort.

“Who knows, maybe she is, knowing her,” Rose muttered as you peered behind you to see her already having pulled out five books from the shelves. You had no idea if she needed all of those books for one little legend, but you weren’t going to question her of all people.

“I’m guessing that’s my cue to go. I just wanted to check up on the both of you to make sure you two were alright.” She hummed before hugging you. You couldn’t help but smile softly as you hugged her back.

“Goodnight Jane and thank you. I’ll fill you all in once we’re sure enough it’s the route we want to take, I promise.” You said as you pulled away from the hug. She nodded before pulling you down by the shoulder to kiss you on the cheek before she pulled away completely. 

“Make sure not to stay up too late you two. The king does want to speak to you four about the next steps we should take.” She said before waving to Rose and then disappearing down the hallway once more.

“You could’ve at least said goodnight, Rose.” You sighed, turning back to face your bookworm of a sister.

“I said it in my head, I’m sure she got my message. She’s good at reading people like that.” She stated before pulling out another book without even lifting her head out of the book she was currently reading.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point.” You hummed before slumping back into your chair. 

You finally managed to find the Sagittarius constellation.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You wiped the beads of sweat forming on your forehead off with your sleeve, wondering how Rose still managed to keep cool. Well, she at least looked like she was.

“This is what I get for trusting you with this silly legend.” You huffed, glaring over towards Rose as she shrugged.

“You insisted on coming along, I told you I would be fine by myself. Stop whining about the heat, I think we’re almost there anyways according to this map.” She said as she pulled out the book from her knapsack before she flipped to the book with the old hand-drawn map on it.

“That has to be at least three decades old.” You said while you adjusted the scarf around your head that Roxy lent to you. The smell made you wish you were home where it was much, much cooler than the middle of a literal desert.

“Correction, it’s two centuries old.” She said back with a small bit of sass in her tone. Actually, a lot of sass. You rolled your eyes in response with a groan.

Out of all people to be stuck in a desert with, why did it have to be such a smartass?

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Dirk, are you sure this plan is even going to work?” Dave asked as he adjusted his cape in the mirror. He wanted to look his best in front of the king after all.

“Our uncle sent Rose and I out after a legend that’s three weeks of travel away that could very possibly not be true? Yeah, I’m sure it’s going to work.” You huffed, unsure if this proposal was even going to make it within the first sentence. 

“I’m sure if Rose believes it’ll work out, it will. She’s not that stupid unless she has at least a ninety-five percent chance of success.” Dave said, trying to reassure you as he now stood beside you in front of the doors that led into the meeting room. They weren’t open yet and probably weren’t going to for another thirty minutes knowing your uncle.

“It’s not her I’m worried about, I’m more so worried about our uncle’s reaction. I’ll probably be banned from leaving my room for two months or so along with all sorts of insults.” You sighed, not ready to face the backlash.

“It’s our last hope though, isn’t it?” John added in as he stood beside Dave. He gets hidden behind Dave every time you almost forgot he was there. Although you shouldn’t be surprised a valet was attached to the side of who they were watching over. It was their job after all.

“Which is what worries me even more.” You muttered under your breath, feeling your nerves starting to build up. You wanted to throw up from this pressure with this poor success rate.   
“You’ve got this,” Dave said as he nudged you with his elbow with a small smile. You smiled back as it was definitely nice to have such a supportive family behind you, even if your own uncle never believed in you. You were next in line, but maybe that’s why he hated you the most.

You were about to say thank you before the doors swung open causing you to stand up perfectly straight with your head facing forward. The smile was quickly wiped off for your usual straight face that you kept on, especially around your uncle. 

You really hoped this meeting wasn’t going down in the history books as being the dumbest plan in Derse’s history.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How long have we been walking?” You groaned as you two decided to finally sit down for a break. It felt like it had been hours and your feet were killing you from walking in the sand. You weren’t built for this rigorous amount of walking. This was usually Dave’s expertise since he was the head knight back in Derse.

“I would say at most an hour. Your complaining really makes this feel so much longer than it needs to be. We should be there within the day, but with your speed, it might take us another week.” She said before taking a small swig of her water pouch. She flipped through the pages of the book as you peered over her shoulder to see what she was reading.

“How can you even read that?” You asked as you squinted as you tried to understand how she knew the language it was written in.

“It's prospitarian and I’m nowhere near fluent. I just simply found an old scroll that could help me decipher this one particular book. The rest were in our language, but this one wasn’t which means it definitely holds the most information.” She said before handing you the said scroll she was talking about. It did make sense as to why she kept reading that book. Usually, that would be nothing for her, but you were always amazed by her intellect.

“That’s impressive.” You stated as you handed the scroll back to her after having a quick glance.

“Thanks, but honestly this book has more interesting illustrations than words. That’s something rare to find.” She said before she flipped back a few pages and stopped on a page. The page had an illustration that took up the middle of both pages with writing all around it. It looked like someone sleeping on a bed of flowers, or more so even someone who was dead.

“The worst part about this page though is that some of the words are missing.” She sighed with a hint of disappointment behind it. She pointed to a few of the words that were just completely scribbled out as if someone was trying to protect or even hide something from everyone else.

“I wonder if it was somebody from Prospit and they were trying to protect whoever this is.” You said before pointing to the person in the picture. They looked like someone important but whoever it was had to be long gone. Maybe it was an old king that they worshipped and didn’t want his grave being robbed or something.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Enough is scribbled out that I can’t make sense of what it says on here. All I got is ‘Awaken when most needed’ and that’s it. The rest is just nonsense like it was written in a hurry.” She said before flipping back to the page she was originally on.

“Let’s just hope there isn’t some ancient beast that could be awakened in there.” You said which earned a small chuckle from Rose.

If there was a beast by any chance, you really didn’t want to find it.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You slammed your door in irritation as you felt anger rise inside of you. Your uncle was such a dick and would rather have his people die than search for a solution. 

You admit it was crazy, and heck, you wouldn’t blame him for doubting you. It was just how he handled the situation and completely embarrassed you in front of everyone in that meeting. You wanted to die where you stood in those long five minutes he just belittled you.

He always disliked you and maybe it was because you were his main threat to the throne. He praised Dave for being such a brave knight, worshipped Rose for being so bright, and was ecstatic that Roxy was mastering alchemy. 

You weren’t anything like them.

Sure, you were good at fighting, but you weren’t Dave. You were smart, but you weren’t a brainiac like Rose. You couldn’t even compete with Roxy’s abilities and he would probably much rather have her as the successor, not you.

Honestly, anyone other than you was better in his eyes. You were sure he would even love for it to be Jane or John, even if they were only simple servants. Obviously, they were more than that, but he held them higher than even you. You were simply laughing stock.

You wanted to propose a way to save your people from the unenviable doom that was going to happen. You didn’t know when, but you knew it wasn’t going to be too much longer before she attacked and reclaimed this land ever since her awakening. 

“Dirk?” You heard a voice from behind the door which brought you out of your angst.

“Come in.” You said before putting on your usual coldness, not wanting anyone to know you were just on the verge of crying into your pillow for days on end.

Rose entered the room which did provide some relief, but also slight irritation. Was she here to rub it in?

“I’ve decided for you. We’re sneaking out tonight and going anyways. So make sure you pack enough for a long trip but also make sure to pack light enough it won’t be a burden.” She said as soon as she closed the door behind her.

“Are you fucking insane, Rose? He already hates me and sneaking out to go against what he said? I’m sure he’d have my head as soon as I stepped foot on to the kingdom grounds.” You rebuked in response, your anger once again rising. Did she want you gone too?

“Our uncle is more a see it to believe it kind of man. I’m sure if we managed to find what we were looking for and came back with it, he would see you as worthy.” She soothed, placing a hand on your shoulder to try and ground you. It was easy for her to say things like that when the king praised her for just breathing.

“And what if we don’t find what we’re looking for and come back empty-handed? You seem to have an answer for everything, so come up with one without a bad ending and I’ll go.” You sneered back, giving her a glare from behind your shades.

“Then we won’t come back. If he’s too blind to see at least you were willing to try and save us, then I don’t want to be here without you.” She consoled but with a serious tone behind it. 

“You’re willing to do that...for me?” You asked as you blinked in confusion. Was she really offering to go to that length for you? She had endless supplies for research here, but she was ready to give up all of that just for you?

“Of course.” She insisted. “Now I must go to prepare myself. Let's meet in the gardens by midnight and we’ll go from there.” With that, she left.

You had some packing to do.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I don’t get it,” Rose muttered underneath her breath as she kept looking up to the empty desert and then back down to the book. You felt your anger rising as humiliation pooled in as well.

“I can’t believe I was so fucking hopeful in this plan. I really shouldn’t believe in fairy tales.” You practically growled as you wanted to scream. You also wanted to cry, but you didn’t want to dehydrate yourself.  
“It should be right here! I can’t believe that they would make up an entire kingdom, language, and war just for their egos.” She grumbled, shutting the book with a huff before shoving it into her knapsack. She was probably just as equally irritated that she spent so long researching for nothing.

“I’m not surprised. This is Derse we’re talking about.” You responded as you tried to think about what to do next. It felt wrong just to turn back and walk all that way back. Hardly anything was out here and the monsters only came out during the dark, especially the vicious ones.

“They’re not that smart though. Maybe there’s something else to it. I refuse to give up this easily.” She said with determination now filling her words as she marched forwards. You reluctantly followed her with a small groan. Her delusions were something you really didn’t need right now.

“Rose, please. It’s hopeless. Let’s find some shelter before we get eaten ali-” Your words were interrupted as you saw Rose vanish right in front of you. She was there in front of you and then she just disappeared into thin air.

“Rose?” You asked into the empty desert, wondering if you just imagined her here the entire time. 

As if she heard you, she suddenly appeared in front of you again, with a wide grin on her face.

“You have to see this!” She exclaimed before she grabbed you by your wrist and yanked you with her. 

You were about to protest, but then the empty desert was suddenly gone as a golden kingdom suddenly appeared. 

“What the fuck…” You murmured as you blinked a few times, trying to make sure you weren’t just hallucinating.

Rose then pinched you as you jumped slightly.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Roxy, I know it’s not ideal, but I just wanted you to know if we don’t ever come back.” You sighed as Roxy was crying in front of you. She clearly wasn’t all for this idea, well at least if it all fails part.

“I know why you need to go and I won’t stop you, but please don’t leave us all behind.” She hiccuped in between sobs as she hugged onto you tightly. You wrapped your arms back around her and placed a kiss on top of her forehead.

“I’m sorry, I have no other choice. Plus, I have faith in Rose’s research and so should you.” You hummed as you leaned back some to gently cup her face with one hand.

“I do too, but the whole leaving completely if it fails just sounds...reckless! I can’t imagine this place without the two of you.” She said as she gently leaned into your hand.

“It is and I wish the rest of you could join, even Jane and John, but I wouldn’t want to burden all of you with my problems. It’s already hard enough with Rose alone, I couldn’t imagine dragging down anyone else.” You lamented as you began to wipe away her tears. She seemed to calm down some, but merely because she was confused.

“You’re never a burden to us and don’t you dare think you are now.” She scolded with concern clearly laced into her words.

“Trust me. You have a future, I don’t. This is my one chance at having one worth living so I refuse to come back without something, even if it ends up just being a rock. If it’s enough proof that I’m right, I’m going to snatch that motherfucker by the neck.” You said as it seemed to make her feel even better.

“Fine. If you do fail though, don’t expect me to stay within these walls.” She quipped before she broke off the hug to wipe her face on her sleeves.

“I’ll see you when you get back, okay?” She hummed with a weak smile. You smiled gingerly back before kissing her on the cheek.

“Okay.” You said before exiting her room into the dark hallways of the sleeping castle. 

You flipped your hood up as you headed to the castle gardens with your belongings in your knapsack slung over your shoulders. This might be the last time you walked through here, so you made sure to walk quickly. 

You wanted nothing more than to get out of here.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The castle was almost in complete ruins as you walked through the ghost of a castle. You and Rose split up a little while back. She insisted it would help cover more ground although you were against the idea. She did have a point that nothing could possibly be living in here. At least, nothing human.

The torch in your hand gently danced as you carefully stepped. Some of the bricks were unstable and you really didn’t want to end up twisting your ankle or even breaking yourself. You don’t know how long it would take Rose to find you.  
It was beautiful in the castle though, even if things were scattered everywhere and obvious fire damage was done. You feel like you could almost hear the distant panic and screaming from the unfortunate residents in this kingdom. It was casualties like this that made you want to make a change. Countless others suffered from her hands, you refused to let your people be next.

You let your free hand gently trail along the walls as you walked. The bricks were cool and even a little damp which was surprising for where this kingdom stood. There were even vines growing throughout the castle. It really added to the abandoned feeling this place had.

You wanted to stay within the hallways as you continue your search, but a particular room with a golden crescent moon on the rotting wooden door. It basically matched the crescent moon for Derse, but instead, it almost seemed...happier in a way. You would be lying if you said Derse wasn’t a depressing place. It was hardly ever sunny and it rained at least once every week. That wasn’t even during your rainy season too.

It was fascinating with the differences between the two. It probably ever hardly rained here with it being in a desert and all. Although you burned easily so maybe more cloudy days wasn’t such a bad bargain for your mentality.

You gently placed your hand on the door before pushing it open. You winced at how loud the door was and it made you relieved for a moment this place was abandoned. You were sure Rose even heard this door.

The contents inside the room though made you completely forget how loud the door was. You stepped into what looked like an indoor garden. There were all sorts of plants growing from every single crack within the flooring. The only reason the walls and ceiling weren’t so unkept was that they were glass. Some vines dared to climb the glass containers, but that’s about it. 

You stepped further inside to take a look at all the life in this single room. You only knew this was purposefully a garden because there were flowers that were even native to Derse. It looked like whoever kept this place was quite the florist. 

“Shit, sorry.” You muttered as you stepped on a couple of flowers that seemed to just finally bloom. It was practically begging to happen, but you still felt a bit bad about it.

As you walked deeper into the garden, you finally began to reach the middle of it. There was some sort of archway in the middle which was probably to signify another path, but right now you couldn’t see that said path. However, it seemed like that path led to something rather important, so you began to head that way.

You looked up at the stained glass in the ceiling that only was in the center of the ceiling. It depicted people kneeling and raising their hands up to someone standing in the center. The person in the center was holding up the sun. The center of that sun was the only transparent part of the stained glass piece. 

Your eyes followed the sunlight beaming through it to a table covered in on the pathway you were near which had a person lying on it. Oh cool.

Wait.

You did a doubletake as you saw a wholeass person laying on top of a bed of blue and red roses. You didn’t think they were dead because of how well preserved their body was. If it was a prospitarian, they would obviously be completely bones by now.

The bright yellow clothes on his body told you otherwise though. It seemed to match the prospit aesthetic and if it was someone using prospit as shelter, maybe they’d sleep on an actual bed. There might not be much of anything left of those beds. However, roses couldn’t be too comfortable to sleep on.

Then you suddenly remembered the drawing you saw in the book Rose brought with her. It had a drawing of this exact place and it said ‘Awaken when most needed’. The small issue was you had no idea how to wake them or if you even wanted to go near them. It seemed more like a Rose task and she seemed to know more about these things. Yeah, getting Rose wouldn’t be such a bad idea. 

So, you turned on your heel to leave the garden to get her help with the random body here. However, there was also now another issue. The door slammed as soon as you took a step back towards it. You definitely knew this place had to be haunted now.

That didn’t stop you from running over towards the door as you tried to shake it open, but now it wouldn’t budge. It was like it was now just morphed to become a part of the wall. You tried pushing it and pulling it, but no matter what, it didn’t move, not even a centimeter. 

You growled in frustration before banging your fists against the door, hoping maybe Rose would hear your struggles. 

You knew splitting up was a horrible idea.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The garden looked as wilted as usual, even with the night sky covering up all the fine little details. No one took true care of this place because no one really cared for it. Plus, your uncle deemed it too unnecessary and there were a lot more important things to worry about than some silly flowers. You weren’t going to protest against him for that though, you had no idea how to garden. Last time you tried, you ended up getting stabbed by the thorns.  
Yeah, never again.

You snapped out of your thoughts as you heard footsteps approaching. You ducked behind one of the decaying bushes as you awaited for the person to arrive. You hoped it was Rose, but it could also be a guard. You were already risking yourself for being out of the castle past curfew and you couldn’t allow yourself to get found yet.

As the figure approached, you grasped the hilt of your sword, threatening to unsheath it if necessary. The clacking of the metal in their steps was enough information for you to know that wasn’t Rose. It was a guard. 

As soon as the guard got close enough, you reached out from the bush and placed your hand on their mouth. The other hand was busy holding your sword to their neck. Luckily they weren’t facing you so you could easily get away without being recognized. 

Yet you weren’t so lucky with how skilled this guard was. They were quick to grab you by the wrist that was holding your sword tightly enough it forced you to drop your sword. You bit your tongue down to stifle your groans of pain that begged to come out from your throat. They then used their other hand to grab you by the same arm before flinging you over their shoulder and onto the ground.

You gasped as you felt the wind leave your lungs with the impact against your back. You didn’t have time to relish in your pain because now they were pointing a sword at you. 

“You’re lucky it’s just me.” The figure said as they sheathed their sword again. You squinted your eyes to see that it was none other than Dave. Of course it was, but you were glad it was him. Also embarrassed though since he bested you once more. It would be worse though if you managed to beat the head knight. Clearly, there would need to be upgraded management if that happened.

“You knew it was me the entire time, didn’t you?” You huffed as he offered you a hand up. You gladly took it as you stood face to face now.

“Of course. Take it as my anger for my own brother and sister planning on running away without even saying goodbye.” He said and you felt a pang of guilt as his expression softened. You also noticed his shades were missing which meant he was serious. He was willing to be vulnerable to you at this time. You took off your own shades and offered him a weak smile.

“It’s not the best plan, but it’s the only choice I had. I didn’t want to stall for too long.” You sighed as you placed a hand on his shoulder. Although he was stronger than you, you still had the opportunity to be taller and older than him. The tears in his eyes spoke in volumes and you knew it was your time to be that older brother again for him. 

“Just please don’t be stupid. I actually like you and Rose, although she had the respect to say goodbye to me. She even said goodbye to John and Jane. So skip the excuses.” He muttered the last part as anger was tainting his words. You felt your eyebrows furrow in sorrow. You don’t know why you were such a dick sometimes in all honesty.

“I should’ve and I’m glad you’ve given me the opportunity to do so now.” You reassured before pulling him into a hug. He just leaned into you as you could feel your shirt start to dampen a bit from where his head was. 

“You better come back.” He shakingly said as he finally wrapped his arms around you as well. Usually, you weren’t so touchy-feely, but this was an exception. Plus, you were touch starved so it played out well because you had no idea how long it would be before you got a hug like this again. 

“I promise and if I don’t, I give you full permission to kick my ass.” You consoled which earned a small laugh out of him. That cracked a smile on your face as you broke away from the hug. He wiped his face with his sleeves before slipping his shades back on. 

“Sounds like a deal to me. Rose was right behind me so she’ll be here within the next couple of minutes.” Dave said with his more normal tone now. It still had a softness to it. He was your brother after all so of course, it wasn’t always so serious, but you never knew who was watching.

“Thank you. I’ll see you in a few weeks, alright?” You said as you slipped your shades back on as well. A smile still showed though, even though smaller than earlier, but it was still there.

“I better you jackass.” He chuckled before punching your shoulder. He ran off after that probably so you couldn’t punch him back. Usually, you would chase him down, but you were already risking your position as is by just standing with Dave for a bit. 

You bent down to grab your sword and sheath it once more before crouching back behind the bush you originally stayed behind. You also flipped your hood back up that seemed to slip off a while back when Dave flipped you. You would be lying if you said you wish you were the one beating Dave more often. That was your role when you were younger when you were responsible for helping him train. Now he was much better than you in combat. Although you were more of a swordsman than he was, his combat skills excelled way past yours. It allowed him to have the upper hand constantly.

You would also be lying if you said you weren’t proud of him. Seeing him advance has been one of your favorite things to experience. When he beat you for the first time in training, you punched him in the face out of jealousy. He laughed the entire time though and that grin still stayed on his face. Obviously, you apologized for hitting him but he didn’t care. He was just giddy that he finally beat his older brother.

“You know, that bush doesn’t cover you that much from the back,” Rose said from behind you which caused you to jump. You were too busy reminiscing to realize her presence. You stood up to face her and you hated it when she was right. She was right most of the time too which made it seem like she was pouring lemon juice into your papercut.

“Well maybe if this garden wasn’t such a fucking dump I would have more protection from all sides.” You said in retaliation as you both began to walk towards the stables.

“Maybe you should adapt to your surroundings. We might be doing that a lot more from here on out.” She hummed as you could see that small shit-eating grin form on her face. You probably weren’t going to survive this trip since you were both such smartasses. 

If this trip didn’t kill both of you, you would probably kill each other.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You watched the sky as the sun was beginning to set. You have been in here for hours and you thought you might just die here. Sure, the castle was big, but not big enough for Rose to take this long to find you. Plus, since you two were split up, maybe she was in a similar predicament and was just waiting for you to save her. Or worse, she was already dead to whatever other traps this place had.

“This better not be your doing.” You said to the limp body still lying peacefully on the roses. He wasn't much of a talker and honestly not much of a mover either. You didn’t see him breathe once this entire time. He had to be dead, but you don’t know how he was so well preserved. You even put your sword to his nose to see if it would fog up from his breathing. Yet, of course, there wasn’t. He did at least serve as amusement to yourself. If you were going to be stuck in here, might as well make the most of it.

You stood over the bed of roses and took this time to study who exactly you would be dying beside. In all honesty, he looked pretty attractive for a dead guy. Actually, he was very attractive. He also had dark tanned skin which was rare in Derse. Well, it actually wasn’t too rare, you just really never got to see any other skin tone besides pale most of the time. Jane and John were a similar skin color to the man laying here, but that was it in the castle. Usually, this was seen out in the villages because your uncle insisted on keeping it “pure” in the castle grounds. It was a nasty point of view and it was the first thing on your list of things you wanted to change once you became king. You don’t know if you would become king now, but it was something all your siblings had in mind. Either way, it was going to change. No one should be considered lesser due to their skin color. It just wasn’t right.

You had a quick impulsive thought to kiss him and you nearly launched yourself backward away from the table. No way were you going to kiss a dead dude! You didn’t care how many fairy tails said it was a totally normal thing to do, it just would not be pleasurable. Plus, you didn’t want to disturb his peace. He looked so calm there with one of his arms draped across his torso. So peaceful with his head slightly tilted to the side but not all the way to the side so you could still see his face. You did not want to be haunted by his ghost for doing such a thing.

However, you probably weren’t going to make it out of here alive. You already tried smashing the glass walls but for some reason, they seemed invincible. It’s like they were purposely so strong so no one could break in from the outside and harm whoever this guy was. He must be super important and the high quality of his clothing told you that. 

In this thought process, you also realized you’ve never kissed anyone in your life. You were nineteen and you’ve never once kissed another human being. Usually, princes by your age would’ve been married years ago and would’ve probably stolen a few hearts along the way. However, you didn’t like people and whoever was brought to you as a marriage proposal, you never liked them. Sure, they were all lovely, but there was one huge problem with all of them. They were all women. Men were much more to your taste, but obviously, your uncle would have kicked you out of the castle many years ago if he found that out. So this could be your only chance. He was dead, he wouldn’t mind, would he?

You felt your stomach churn at your mind actually accepting it. Dead people weren’t really your fancy either and you weren’t sure you wanted to kiss one. By all means, you would smooch a ghost, if they were real, but an entire dead body was different. His skin would probably feel all gross and cold from being dead too, it couldn’t be enjoyable.

You cupped the side of his face with your hands and your eyes widened from the warmth coming from him. It was actually cool in this room but the sun was shining on him for a while. You don’t think it would make him feel this warm though. He at least felt alive, but he wasn’t breathing so he couldn’t be. You placed your ear against his chest and there wasn’t a heartbeat either. What the fuck was going on?

“If you’re somehow alive and can hear me right now, you can stop playing around now. You’ve been pulling this prank out for too long.” You said before flicking his forehead, hoping maybe that would startle him awake if he somehow was faking it. Of course, there was no response. What more could you really expect though? 

‘Awaken when most needed.’

Those words rang throughout your brain. Maybe he was what needed to be awoken? You didn’t know exactly how because touching him and even flicking him didn’t work. The answer was probably on that page but it was all scribbled out. 

Then it clicked.

Even though fairy tails were made up, they all came from some sort of truth. Kissing seemed to be the one way to bring back the dead and if it was for this purpose, maybe it could work. Also if it didn’t you wouldn’t feel so guilty smooching the dead guy just for your own selfish desires. It wasn’t going to be pleasant, but you had no idea what else could work. He also might be the key out of here. Maybe waking him up when most needed was a hint if you get trapped in here to awake him. He could help you find what you're looking for as well. 

With that in mind, you looked down at him as you cupped the side of his face once more. It was still so weird feeling how warm his skin was. Heck, it was probably even warmer than yours and maybe you felt more like the dead one than him.

Thoughts raced through your head as you weren’t sure really how to go about it. Sure, you’ve seen people kissing and even seen drawings of it in books, but how did they just...do that? It helped on your end that the person you were kissing wasn’t looking at you or even talking to you. It helped keep this awkwardness down as you mentally prepared yourself. 

“I bet you’re a pro at kissing with your looks.” You sighed as you backed away from the sleeping man once more. He was so attractive it was almost criminal and if he existed in Derse, you would have to lock him up for being too handsome. Those looks could kill someone and that’s even when he was unmoving. Just imagining him in motion was enough to get you flustered. 

His smile would probably end you if you ever saw it in person.

You shook your head as you tried to get your mind out of its crush for a dead person. God, how fucked up were you? Crushing on a dead dude definitely wasn’t a highlight of your life right now. Maybe you would never get so lucky with kissing a guy ever again though. You were so lucky to have one that looks like him to be your option. He might not return those thoughts though since you had to try to look good. He seems like the type of a person it would come effortlessly to.

Wait, why were you getting jealous over someone you don’t even know? Let alone the fact that he could be such a shitty person. It was rude to assume that, but you could never be too safe. It did help you feel not so weird kissing him too. 

You noticed how the room was getting darker as the sun began to nearly be completely gone now. Were you really stalling for that long on kissing one dude? No, you refused to be that much of a pussy.

“Fuck it.” You finally snapped before marching yourself back to his side. You cupped his face again and took off your shades. You couldn’t risk those falling off and hitting this poor guy in the face. After that, you just went for it. You made sure to be careful though not to kiss too roughly and obviously it was just for a second. 

It was kinda...disappointing to say in the least. Nothing special about it. No sparks, no nothing. Just placing your lips against someone else’s lips. Maybe it was because you had no emotional attachment to him and his attraction apparently wasn’t enough for you. You were kinda glad about that if you were honest.

When you pulled back you sighed. You don’t know if it was in disappointment or relief. Maybe it was a mix of both. Those thoughts quickly fled though as you could feel him begin to shift. 

Holy shit it actually worked.

You were practically frozen in shock as his eyebrows began to furrow. It seemed like his body was trying to get used to having life in it once more. It was mesmerizing to watch to say in the least. Unlike the rest of his body slowly adjusting, his eyes suddenly snapped open as a gasp escaped his mouth. It almost was like he was scared awake. Poor dude.

His eyes adjusted as they finally focused on you. His eyes were so...unusual. You’ve never seen green eyes before in your life. You knew that was a trait of Prospitarians since Rose told you, but god those old books didn’t do it justice. Blue eyes from John and Jane were already a treat, but these had such...depth to them. 

You forgot for a second that this was an actual dude who has been out for many, many years and now he wakes up to a guy just staring at him. Just casually still cupping his face and staring back at him with wide eyes. Maybe the staring between the two of you only lasted for a mere few seconds because looking into his eyes just entrapped you. He clearly wasn’t so fascinated by you though.

In fact, he was so unamused by you that he punched you right in the face. You were so distracted by his eyes you didn’t see his expression turn from confusion to pure fear in a matter of seconds. You were not expecting such a powerful punch from a guy who was dead just mere seconds ago. Actually, you were still expecting him to be dead. It was still powerful enough to knock you back though.

“Get AWAY from me!” He shouted as he got off the bed of roses. He ran towards the door, or at least he attempted to make a run for it towards the door. His legs failed him as you watched them give in as he fell to the ground. He tried to pick himself up by lifting his body off of the ground with his arms, but they were also giving up on him. It seemed like that one punch was all the energy his body had after being stuck there for so long.

“You okay?” You managed to ask as you mentally facepalmed. Really? Was that all you could ask? Obviously, he wasn’t okay, he was acting like an injured animal with how afraid and defensive he was being.

“Stop mocking me and just finish the job! I’d rather be dead than be humiliated in such a way by the enemy.” He scowled and although you couldn’t see his expression, you could tell he was glaring at you. He still kept trying to crawl, but nothing was working and he began to become more stressed.

“The enemy? We just met and I promise I have no ill intent in coming here. I just thought you were dead a few seconds ago.” You said as calmly as possible before you walked closer. Poor guy couldn’t even flip himself onto his back.

“Don’t play me as a fool, you’ll regret that dearly.” He spat as his right hand that was placed flat on the ground began to...glow? It had an odd yellow glow to it and that was something new you’ve never seen. This place was just filled with wonders.

“Seriously what is your problem? All I want to do is help you so you can help me.” You sighed as you crouched down beside him. His green eyes bore daggers into you. It sent shivers down your spine from how cold that stare was and you’ve never seen one so spiteful in your life. Not even your own uncle has given you such a look and it made you...freeze. He really, really did not like you.

Yet suddenly, it changed. He was smiling now as his eyes seemed to have more life in it. Oh, that was what he looked like smiling. He even had a dimple. May this be your resting place too?

“Oh! Silly me!! My chum, why didn’t you tell me of your endeavors in the first place?! I would’ve loved to help you with whatever you need!” He chipped as his simple only got brighter to the point his eyes were slightly closed. “Now just come closer and help up ol’ chum!”

You were so blinded by his smile you fell for it and you leaned in closer to help him.

“You boorish cur.” He practically growled before you felt a sharp slap to the face, but it wasn’t by his hands. It was one of the many vines that were haphazardly placed around this garden. You blinked in confusion trying to process what just happened before another slap came to your face. 

The slaps just kept coming and even though they weren’t doing much of...anything really, they were super annoying. You don’t know how he was doing that and maybe it was a magic garden meant to protect him; however, you sure were annoyed by it. You quickly unsheathed your sword with a grunt before cutting at the next few vines that came for your face and that seemed to do the trick for now. Apparently, vines learn because they then wrapped around your sword before yanking it out of your hand. Damn even vines were better at combat than you.

“Now, leave.” He huffed in between his panting. Wait, when did he become so exhausted? He was even sweating as he seemed absolutely drained. Also, when did the vines point your sword at you? Now these vines seemed a bit more terrifying.  
“As much as I would love to in this very...I don’t even know what to call this situation, I can’t. The fucking door shut us both in here.” You said as you leaned your head towards the door so he would get the hint. His eyes glanced over there as he raised a brow in confusion.

“That door doesn’t even have a bloody lock on it, how could it shut us here wise guy?” He stammered as he seemed to be having trouble focusing right now. You also noticed how the vine's grip on your sword was getting weaker. Was his energy levels tied to this garden? That would explain why it wasn’t doing anything when you first entered but now it was reacting to him. You still don’t know why he was so tired though. Maybe it was the effects of the curse or spell he was under?

“Why are you so tired?” You blurted out as your wandering mind just wanted an answer to soothe its chaos. A lot was happening right now but some answers would be nice, though you doubted he would answer you. He squinted his eyes at you which you weren’t too surprised with. You were kinda used to it at this point.

“The same reason you get tired while fighting. Really, do they not teach you numbskulls a damn thing in Derse?” He groaned as the sword finally slipped out of the vines. You quickly caught the sword by the handle and sheathed it once more. The vines limply fell back to the ground as his panting only increased. 

“You were just laying there though, I didn’t see you move an inch.” You stated which earned you an even harsher glare. You were seriously just curious though. You had no idea what his problem was with you. Maybe did he know how he was woken up by you kissing him? Was he disgusted with you and that’s why he was trying to get away? Or maybe he was expecting a female, not a male which honestly was fine. You weren’t in charge of anyone else’s sexuality after all.

“Obviously, but I made those vines move. Did you think they were doing that on their own free will?” He rested his face against the ground finally as his eyes threatened to close. 

“Wait, then how the fuck were you controlling them?” You asked as confusion was hitting you at an all-time high. Usually, you were great with context clues, but this made no sense to you.

“Holy smokes you really are helpless…” He huffed out. “I used magic, but I don’t have near as much power as I usually do. I probably haven’t had this little since I started.” You were surprised he actually explained something, but magic? You knew about spells but anyone could cast those with the right ingredients and the willpower to go find them. That didn’t take any magic power and you never knew magic was actually...real. You’ve heard tales of it, but someone actually being a spellcaster was something Rose was going to be all over. She loved creating spells but she was going to lose it with someone who could do so much more than she could.

“So you’re telling me magic is real, right? A lot has happened in the past few hours and I don’t know if this is real or not.” You rambled as you only earned another groan from the guy.

“I’m not your personal answer machine. You’re not getting any more information out of me, so just kill me. I still don’t know how you snuck by everyone else and managed to get in here, but I have no interest in filling in your selfish intentions anymore.” He said as his tone turned sourer once more. You really thought you were getting somewhere but he was still set on this whole enemy thing. You still don’t know why but it was concerning how he mentioned others. It was only you, Rose, and this dude in here...right? There weren’t any other dead dudes you had to go smooching on, were they?

“There’s no one else here and I didn’t have to sneak by anyone. I actually just walked in here and so did my sister. Don’t know what that spell has done to your head, but are you all good in there?” You said as that seemed to earn a look of confusion from him. That couldn’t be good, he was probably going to call you an idiot again.

“They couldn’t have all been defeated…” He muttered underneath his breath as he looked away from you. Not in disgust or anything for once, but more so as he was busy thinking. His brows also began furrowing as he went deeper into thought.

“Actually, why am I here? I wasn’t stationed in the greenhouse, Jade was supposed to be.” He kept rambling to himself, but a little louder. “Actually, I can’t remember...much of anything. I just know they were approaching and Jade was panicked and now I’m...here with you.” His brows kept furrowing more and more.

“You alright there?” You softly asked hoping he would see you were legitimately concerned for his wellbeing right now. Whatever route his mind was taking him, it wasn’t a good one.

“I...don't know? I know basic things like my name and about Derse attacking us...but everything else is just gone from my memory.” His voice kept getting quieter as he talked, not seeming to mind your presence anymore as he tried to piece the puzzle back together. 

“Wait, you knew when Derse was attacking here? Did you read it in a book or something?” You asked which only seemed to bother him even more. Two confused people locked in this greenhouse was not what you were planning on doing right now.

“No? I was prepared to fight in the battle, but did we...lose?” He asked you this time and he seemed more hurt now. He was looking at you with fear and worry this time. Suddenly the room felt much hotter. You tried to answer the question he had for you, but you didn’t have the guts to tell him such information. You were just surprised how he was over two centuries old, it seemed impossible. Although he did look amazing for a two hundred something-year-old.

It seemed like your silence was enough to him though. His whole body began to shake as tears began forming instantly into the corner of his eyes. They looked like huge ones too and whatever pain he was about to feel you were sure it was one of the worst pains in his life. 

“P-please spare me the humiliation and t-turn away.” He practically whimpered. It wasn’t in fear, but it was more so him trying to hold back his agony in front of you. Everything clicked now with you and why he saw you as such a threat. The least you could do was go off and give him some privacy. Usually, you would leave the room, but you couldn’t. You nodded before standing up and walking to the other side of the greenhouse. 

It was an enormous greenhouse but it still wasn’t big enough to muffle his cries as they echoed, sending you shivers of regret.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You left him alone to weep for a good couple of hours. It was dark now in the greenhouse but it was dimly lit by a few fireflies dancing around. You were actually surprised to see them inside here, but it added a nice touch. It served as a nice distraction as you waited. You gave up trying to point out constellations a while ago as you let your own thoughts wander for a bit.

It was an oddly soothing but sad couple of hours as you sat there wondering how he must be feeling. Honestly, he could’ve been long gone, but you had no idea if he gained any energy back. Using magic probably wore him out even more, so you decided to check on him.

You stood up from the bench that was placed along the vine-covered pathway before heading back over. You clearly didn’t know this place too well though because you almost tripped over his body. You didn’t nearly see him in the darkness but he didn’t seem to budge. You were actually surprised to see him in the same position as you left him. Not even his fingers were in a different placement. You hoped you didn’t somehow paralyze him because you thought he would have some kind of motion back.

“Are you still not able to move at all?” You asked as your curiosity got the best of you. He flicked his eyes up towards you as he didn’t even seem to notice you were there until you spoke. Even in the dim lighting, you could see how puffy and red his eyes were. There was even a wet spot on the small bit of stone you could see underneath the vines. 

“What do you think?” He weakly snapped and it seemed like he was even more worn out than before. Crying exhausted you but you couldn’t imagine how much that cry wore him out. You doubted it would be the last time he would cry that intensely over this situation.

“Are you paralyzed?” You asked in a softer voice as your concern that you fucked him up was showing. Sure your ancestors definitely fucked him up a lot more than you could ever imagine, but it would be terrible if you were responsible for making him a cripple.  
“I can still feel my body, so no. I just can’t move it.” He said with an actual normal tone of voice. It was scratchy and obviously wasn’t in it’s best condition. However, it still was normal and wasn’t spiteful. You would take that as he was warming up to you. 

“Want to move your limp body to a more comfortable spot then?” You hummed and that earned you a squint from him. It didn’t seem disapproving or anything like that, he was just...squinting.

“That would be most favorable, but that would require your help. I haven’t lost all my pride yet and I refuse to lose it in such a way.” He grumbled before he...shut his eyes? Did he really think just closing his eyes would get rid of you? Alright then.

“Too bad, you don’t have a choice.” You asserted, but not in a hateful way, you just couldn’t leave him here. Plus you couldn’t get out of here without him. Well, at least you were pretty sure you couldn’t. You started to lean over to help him up but his eyes quickly snapped open as if he could sense you moving towards him. Now he was glaring at you again. It was like trying to tame a cat. Just when you thought they were warming up to you, they would scratch you across the face. They could never be truly tamed.

“Don’t you dare.” He growled as his glare hardened. You knew it was supposed to be threatening, but it really wasn’t. You were used to his glares by now, they didn’t have much effect on you now. 

“What are you going to do about it? Stop me?” You remarked back as a small smirk came upon your lips. He did not like that. You picked him up anyways and he was surprisingly light for how he built he was. He wasn’t light either, but not as heavy as you anticipated. He was practically howling in protest like a little kid does when they don’t get anything they want. Such brats. 

“I swear once I get my mobility back I will do much more than punch you and whip you with some vines!” He threatened you while you placed one of his arms around your shoulders. You then placed one of your arms behind his knees and one in the middle of his back before picking him up completely. Bridal style carry was the best option you had here because maybe he would gain his mobility back and attack you if you carried him on your back. Although clearly he really despised this style. Honestly, he would probably despise any style of carrying with you being the carrier, but he would have to suck it up.

“If you say so.” You teased back at him with his threat. He didn’t seem to react to that much as he just gave up with his protests. It seemed like he realized he literally couldn’t do anything to stop you. Of course, you weren’t planning to do anything bad to him, but he probably thought you were going to throw him into the mouth of the first beast you see.

You began walking towards the door as you hoped just having this dude would be enough to open it. It of course wasn’t as you tried to kick it open with your foot and it didn’t budge. You tried kicking it a few other times hoping you didn’t have to ask this guy for help. He wouldn’t agree to helping you no matter what it was. Even if it killed him along with you, he would probably let it happen just so you would be dead.

“Do you mind, uh, opening the door?” You attempted to ask him anyways as you looked down at him. His head was rolled back due to the fact that he couldn’t even support it right now. You could still feel his judging look to the fullest though. You could also feel his body begin to shake as he laughed at you.

“I didn’t want to leave this damned room anyways. This is what you get for being a prick.” He chuckled as a grin appeared on his lips. A spiteful one, but it was there. You rolled your eyes in response before you held him out and just...pressed his body against the door. He began glowing that yellow glow once more which stopped his laughing fit. The door began to shake as he groaned in discomfort before it opened. 

“I wasn’t r-ready to fully use magic again y-you dickprince.” He huffed as he seemed to be panting once more. You did feel kind of bad for using him in such a way, but you had no idea if he would be forced to use his magical energy...or whatever it was called. You were also too relieved to finally get out of this room to think too much about how much it bothered him.

“Now, which way to a bedroom?” You asked while stepping out into the hallway. You looked around to see it was much harder to, well, see since the hallways were now dark. Great, that was going to make this that much harder.

“Decided you didn’t fuck me up enough, eh?” He...joked? You weren’t sure if he was being mean or not in that statement. You didn’t know he could make jokes, well at least that he would make any jokes with you. 

“I swear to fucking god I’m going to transfer you to Rose once we find her.” You sighed as you just began walking towards the right since it was the way you came. You knew the ground wasn’t unstable on this floor but you weren’t sure about the other ones. You weren’t about to risk it, especially since you couldn’t even see the floor properly in the first place.

“Oh that’s just dandy, there’s more of you.” He groaned as you could feel his body deflate with disappointment. 

This was going to be a very, very long night.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a while, you finally managed to find a bedroom on the first floor. Well, it seemed more like an infirmary, but it had beds to lay on and that was all he needed. It had about five of them all spaced out evenly. You don’t know how they managed to stay in perfect condition and as you discovered, some things in this place seemed to be frozen in time. Not literally, but they just still seemed too perfect. This dude was one example because he still had muscles and he didn’t seem like he aged at all while he was under the spell. You weren’t a professional with spells, but you assumed it would take someone with a lot of magic power to pull off something to keep him so well preserved over the years.

You gingerly laid him on top of one of the beds closest to the window as it seemed like he was already asleep. You don’t know when he did, but he seemed to finally just let his exhaustion take over him at some point. He did keep up his commentary and constantly picked on you but you never noticed when he stopped. Maybe it was because you eventually just tuned him out somewhere along the line. 

You adjusted the pillow to fit more comfortably underneath his head before you pulled the sheets over him. For an infirmary, this one sure had nice beds for the injured to lay on. Heck, they were even nicer than the ones you had for your guest rooms in your castle. These were two-hundred-year-old beds too. 

Footsteps echoed down the hallway which caused you to tense up. Obviously, you knew it was Rose, but how were you going to explain...him? You wish now you asked for his name although he would probably insult you instead of giving it to you. You were sure she would understand his condition more than you would, but it was just going to be awkward to explain, especially the part of how you woke him up.

You walked to the door despite your worries as you saw her getting closer. As soon as she saw you, she walked at a faster pace to get to you. She seemed perfectly fine and actually seemed excited. 

“Dirk you would never BELIEVE the amount of history that is still perfectly preserved here! Even the library is fully intact like there wasn’t a full-on war here hundreds of years ago!” She gushed as you’ve never seen such life in her eyes. You were about to rock her world with what history you found that was currently sleeping.

“You’re going to have to show me that tomorrow because I have something I need to show you now.” You said before grabbing her wrist and pulling her into the infirmary. 

“I already checked in here, there wasn’t anything valu- Jesus fucking christ that’s a whole living being.” She gasped as her eyes laid upon the sleeping figure by the window. She took her wrist out of your grip before she walked over towards him. You could tell so many thoughts were racing through her head as her eyes studied his features. 

“Was he always here or did you find him?” She asked as she reached her hands out to touch him, but she stopped herself from doing so. You knew she was so excited to learn every single detail about him, but you doubted he would say much of anything. He didn’t trust you for obvious reasons and you were sure she would get the same energy back.  
“I found him in a greenhouse and he was under some sort of spell laying on a bed of roses. I honestly thought he was dead when I first found him, but, uh...I woke him up.” You said as you mumbled the last part, hoping she wouldn’t pester you about it. You of course knew that wouldn’t work though.

“How did you wake him up? If it was a spell like you said, a simple shake wouldn’t have woken him up.” She said as her curiosity was peering through her tone. You could lie, but you know she was very good at reading people and knowing when they were lying. Even you could be read like another book in her hands.

“I-well before you pick on me with no fucking end, I only tested it to see if it would work like fairy tales say it does.” You tried to clarify before you were interrupted by her as a small smirk was on her lips.

“You kissed him, didn’t you?” She hummed in amusement as you could tell she was studying your face. You could feel your face begin to heat up along with your ears and your eyes widening just ever so slightly was enough for her to know she was right. She practically began busting out into a fit of cackling.

“I can’t believe you kissed a dead man laying on a bed of roses! There was probably another way to wake him up, you know? Not all spells are all one route.” She continued to berate you and humiliate you as the reddening in your cheeks was not stopping. You could feel your mouth begin to quiver too from embarrassment as your mind told you to just run and hideaway. There was no way you were ever going to come back from this. 

“I’m not a fucking expert on spells, alright? Plus, it worked so there. Without my attempt, he would still be under the stupid spell.” You grumbled as you weren’t pissed off at her or anything, in fact, you would be making fun of her too if she kissed a dead person to make them wake up. You were just more upset that it was you who was being called out on your batshit sense of thinking.

“Did he actually open his eyes yet or has he just been in a state of sleep?” She asked as she still had a tint of humor in it, but she was more serious in picking apart the small details. She already knew the big picture, she just needed to know everything else now.

“Oh no, he was definitely awake for a few hours. He’s a fighter and will relentlessly insult you to no end once he meets you. He talks as if he’s fucking invincible although he doesn’t have any ability to move his body.” You huffed before leaning against the wall and taking the time to stare at him. 

He looked so peaceful while sleeping but you knew he was vicious underneath. In all honesty, even though you hardly knew the guy, you did admire that in him. Even though he knew you could easily decapitate him where he laid, he still refused to help you. He was strong and you were only a tad bit worried how much stronger he’ll get once he gains all of his strength and magic back. He’d probably be practically impossible to maintain which might be why he acted so untouchable. He knew his strengths and wasn’t afraid to make sure you knew them too.

“I like him already.” Rose gushed as she kept looking at him from different angles, trying to soak him in completely. You didn’t blame her, you probably just looked like her a few hours ago when you first stumbled across him.

“I’m about to rock your fucking world then with one more interesting thing about him.” You hummed with a small smirk as that seemed to catch her attention for a moment. She was now looking at you with those eyes that begged you to come out with it already. You let the sweet tension last for a few more seconds as you watched her eyes get slowly wider the longer she waited. 

“He knows how to use magic. Not spells or curses, but straight up fucking magic.” You said as you watched her mouth fall open. Out of any of your siblings, she was always the most fascinated in things like that, even from a young age. Of course, you kept it a secret from your uncle and the rest of the kingdom because they would kill her for witchcraft, but it didn’t stop her. 

“I swear if you’re lying to me I’m going to tell everyone you kissed a dead guy.” She threatened as she squinted at you to see if you were showing any signs of lying. You kept the same little smirk on your face the entire time. 

“I didn’t think it was real too until he kept using it to slap me with vines back in the greenhouse. He’s not as full potential yet he told me so I wouldn’t ask him to show you any of it yet. I doubt he ever would for your amusement, but who knows. Maybe he’ll attack you with it too.” You reassured as you shrugged a bit. She took a step closer to you to examine your face and you assumed there were tiny little cuts on your features. You haven’t had time to check yet, but by her expression changing from questioning to pure excitement and disbelief was enough to tell you that there were some there.

“I’ve got to write this down so please humor me in allowing me to ask you a few questions from the receiving end of magic.” She stated as you didn’t have a choice to say no. She grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you over towards one of the beds on the other end of the room. 

She was ready to ask you the first question before even pulling out her notebook, but some shifting from the sleeping prospit caught the attention of both of you. Maybe you two were being too loud and you really hoped you weren’t going to wake him up. He was grumpy when awake.

“Should we tie him up just to make sure he doesn’t attempt anything? We have no idea what he’s capable of and I doubt he’ll spare us for even a second.” Rose whispered as she peered past your shoulder to look at him. She sighed in relief once she noticed he was still sound asleep.  
“I don’t think we should. I want to gain his trust first not make him find any more reasons for him to hate us. Plus he probably won’t gain all of his powers back in one night so we still have a chance of detaining him still.” You mumbled back as you looked back at him as well. Even though he hated you, you really didn’t hate him. You knew he has just been through a ton of shit and you couldn’t blame him for being so cold towards you. Even if Prospitarians were rumored to be peaceful and kind people, he had the right not to be. Not that you could really speak against it, hardly anyone was warm towards anyone in Derse. You still felt an odd warmth from him, or maybe it was just the desert heat. You didn’t know, but you would just tell yourself it was the first one.

“I’ll trust your choices since you were the one to meet him and not me. I just hope you aren’t wrong and he ends up killing us both.” She said before reaching into her knapsack and pulling out her journal. She always had her journal, a portable inkwell, and a quill pen at ready. Even if it was going to the dining hall and back to her room, she would have it.

“Now, tell me how did it feel to kiss a dead man?” She asked in all seriousness as she wrote down her question. She was ready to write your response at lighting speed, even your stuttering and pauses would be noted. You knew that with past experience.

You sighed as you got ready to answer all of her bizarre questions for her…"research”. You really hoped no one would find it like they have this place. Even if you didn’t exist anymore, you would be embarrassed from beyond the grave.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It has been a couple of days since you and Rose have been stuck in Prospit. It wasn’t that you couldn’t get out, but this guy was still refusing to give you any information. It also didn’t help that he could barely stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. You knew it was probably the side effects of the spell, but it sucked when he randomly fainted on you in mid-sentence. You were sure he was faking it half the time just to get out of answering you again. You were currently in the middle of one of his questionings and you could feel your irritation start to build up. 

“Again, as I’ve said for the hundredth time, I will not answer you. I have nothing to gain from helping the enemy.” He huffed as he crossed his arms across his chest. He was gaining some mobility back, but only bits of it. He couldn’t support his own weight yet and his arms were only slightly functional. His hands, toes, and neck were fully functional though. You only knew because Rose would start him off with some sort of health exam every time he woke up after he ate and drank. There wasn’t much out here to eat so food was scarce between the three of you and water was about to be the same. There was a well here that somehow still had a sufficient supply of water in it, but it didn’t seem like it was replenishing itself like it used to. 

“I also don’t know how many fucking times I need to tell you this information is important.” You groaned as you wanted to bang your head against the brick walls. Maybe you could knock yourself out and not have to worry about him for at least a few hours. Even your sleep was ruined by him since as soon as you were falling asleep, he would make sure to wake you up once he did. Every time he would throw his pillow at you to let you know you were never going to have another peaceful night with him around. 

“You also won’t tell me exactly why it’s important. Knowing you, it will be in the wrong hands.” He sneered before turning his head away from the two of you. He was so childish sometimes.

“I can’t just tell someone we don’t know our plans with it.” You sighed as you looked at Rose for help. She still just recorded it in her journal as usual which left you up to all of the questioning. You were terrible at talking to people.

“Then I can’t just tell someone what I know to help with the plans they won’t even talk about. As I’ve said before, do not take me as a fool.” He rebuked before letting his eyes slip closed. Great, now he was about to pass out. You haven’t even taken him out of the infirmary yet because you were too worried he would randomly faint. Plus you didn’t know where it was safe and what wasn’t with the condition of some spots. 

“Until next time.” You groaned as you watched his head slowly cock to the side meaning he was falling asleep. You laid him back down and covered him up again before storming out of the room. You were angry nothing was improving. You really thought you would at least get his name from all of this, but he even refused to say that. You regret saying you admired his stubbornness now.

“I know it’s irritating, but I think I know how we can win his trust. Well, more so we can make a deal he won’t be able to refuse.” Rose said from behind you as you didn’t even realize she followed you. She was always so silent like that.

“What deal?” You asked as you stopped in your tracks and turned on your heel to face her. You were so desperate for anything at this point, even if it was shitty. 

“Well I’m sure he misses the castle so maybe being cooped up in one room is making him pissy. Maybe if we promise to take him around, he might be more willing. He might feel less of a captive that way too.” She hummed as a small smile came across her lips. It was a smile of joy that she finally found a way to crack his nearly invincible shell he had on his mind. Now you understood why she just observed instead of partaking in the investigations. 

“That actually might do something.” You mumbled as you scratched your chin in thought. It was worth a shot since you had nothing better planned yet. Maybe if you just got even a little bit of information, he may listen to you.

“Exactly! I’ll propose the deal to him but I’ll let you and him explore the castle alone. He seems a bit more fond of you, even if he doesn’t outwardly express it.” She said as she closed her journal and slipped it into her knapsack once the ink dried.

“I think you might be wrong there. He doesn't fuss at you as much whenever you bother him.” You muttered as you peered past her and looked into the infirmary. You could see just a bit of him as the gentle breeze from the window moved his hair ever so slightly. You noted maybe you were watching him sleep a bit too much lately. It was just so soothing in an odd way.

“That may be true with words, but with body language and the way his eyes soften just a bit at you tells me otherwise.” She hummed before walking off towards the library. You sighed as you decided to step out into the night for a bit to cool yourself off for a bit. 

Although it was unbearingly hot here during the day, it was always so cool during the night. It was very refreshing and you enjoyed the peacefulness of the desert. Of course, you didn’t walk outside of Prospit, but you just liked to stand out here and enjoy it anyways. You sat down on the sand-covered pathway before looking up at the stars. You let your back rest against one of the pillars that led towards the entrance of the castle. They looked to be made out of some sort of white stone and were cool to the touch at this time. It felt great against the back of your head with the pounding headache that was raging in your head.

You closed your eyes before taking in a deep breath. It was times like this you were glad you finally escaped from Derse, even though you planned on going back soon. It was still nice to be out on our own free will, even if it was for a short while. The only thing you missed from Derse were your siblings. It was a bit sad in all honesty.

Maybe that was why you felt a warmth from the man, he seemed to deeply care for his kingdom and even his people, even if he is the last one left. There was no one else he needed to protect here and it wasn’t like any secrets that were spilled could be used against anyone. Yet he still insisted on keeping this place safe.

You really admired him a lot more than you ever thought you would. Maybe it was just envy too, but who knew.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The plan actually ended up working. He did love this place so he made a deal that he would give up some information if he got to see the castle. The only downside was that he wanted to get his end first before he gave up anything. It was a risk because even once you showed him around, he could still refuse. Knowing how he was acting, he was most likely going to cheat you out of the deal. You two also didn’t say how much information he had to give or what type, so he could give you some, but not what you two needed.

That stuck you in your current situation as one of his arms was slung over your shoulders. He was able to support himself more and even walk on his own, but not for long. He refused to be carried again though which was also fine by you. Sure, he wasn’t the heaviest person to lift, but walking throughout an entire castle carrying someone? Yeah, you would have to pass on that.

“Where did your sister go?” He asked randomly as you two walked down the corridor of the second floor. Surprisingly this place wasn’t as unstable as you thought. It had damage to it, but it still looked to be pretty much sturdy. It was impressive especially since no one had been tending to it this entire time. 

“How did you know she was my sister?” You snapped back but not because you were angry, you were just surprised he knew that. You didn’t remember telling him that. Sure, if it was Dave instead of Rose you could see how he would’ve guessed you were related. Rose and you hardly looked like one another though except for the platinum blonde hair you both shared. Actually, all four of you shared that, even though Roxy had a more pinkish tint somehow. You swear she somehow did that herself.

“Just by the lingo you two use, it's typical sibling bickering.” He simply stated and you had to admit he had a point. You and Rose did argue quite a bit, but it made the two of you close in your own odd way. You had a different sort of relationship with all of your siblings but you liked it that way.

“She went to the library as usual. She can’t get enough of that damned place but I’m not too surprised. Why do you ask?” You hummed in curiosity about his question as he seemed to be pondering something. You didn’t know what he was thinking, but it didn’t settle right. However, you were trying to work in the trust department like Rose requested you do so you pushed that feeling down.

“Just seeing how far away that quickwitted lady is. She would come here rather quickly if she heard too much.” He smirked as a mischievous glint shone in his eyes. You didn’t have time to process what he meant because before you knew it, he took his arm off of your shoulder. He stood perfectly fine by himself and if you were right, he looked completely fine now.

He wasted no time as he used his magic to throw you at the wall. When your back collided with the wall, you could feel all of the air escape your lungs. That was the most violently you’ve ever been thrown and it looked like it took him no effort to do so. You couldn’t believe you fell for this trap. Sure, you weren’t the smartest, but you weren’t an idiot either. You should’ve listened to your gut. 

“If you know what’s best for you, don’t follow me. I will not hesitate to kill you.” He threatened as he gave you one last glare before walking away. You had no idea what he was capable of, but you weren’t going to allow him to underestimate you. You were good at fighting after all and you’ve had quite a bit of anger pent up inside of you.  
You stood up and unsheathed your sword before you quickly approached him from behind. He seemed to expect you as he readied to attack once again. He reached his arm out to you but you allowed your speedy reflexes to take control as you ducked underneath his arm and swiped at his legs with your sword. You used the dull side of your sword to make sure you actually didn’t majorly injure this guy. It was successful enough as he fell back due to the hit. He grunted as he landed on the ground. Now he was pissed off but in all honesty, you didn’t care. 

“You really should listen.” He jeered as flames formed in his hands. Now that was something you weren’t expecting. He launched a fireball towards you and you used your sword to deflect it. You had no idea how you were supposed to fight against a magic user, but you were about to adapt or else he would actually kill you.

He launched himself off the ground with his magic before he kicked you square in the face. You had to really try and keep up with all of these new tricks he had because he literally launched himself almost a good foot or two above you with that one. You couldn’t even be mad with how cool that was, even if your face was throbbing in dull pain from the kick. You did need to step it up though and start actually fighting him. He was taking this seriously and you weren’t even fully trying. 

“Sorry, I’m a terrible listener.” You nagged before thrusting your sword towards him. He easily dodged, but you didn’t stop thrusting your sword at him. If you could at least stall him from using his magic you might have an actual chance at this fight. It seemed to be doing the trick because he got closer and closer to failing a dodge until one he managed to fail on. You managed to strike him on the right side which made him holler out in pain. You didn’t impale him or anything, but you managed to land a pretty nasty cut into his side. It was already staining his pure yellow outfit in blood as it dripped down to his hip. He clutched his side as he was now giving you that stone-cold glare once more like he did when you first woke him up. It was filled with pure hatred and it once again sent shivers down your spine.

“Will you stop now? I really don’t want to fucking fight you. I just need you to trust me for one second.” You implored and tried to do so as nicely as possible. You really didn’t want to be nice to the dick who has been nothing but a complete jerk this entire time. However, maybe finally this would get through to him. 

“Trust you?” He raged, “Why would I ever trust the likes of you?! You complain about me not trusting you when you haven’t even given me your damned name!” He used his magic once again to throw you up to the ceiling this time as he held you there instead of just letting you fall back down.

“You have no right to beg for your life from me, you have no remorse from me. All of my people are DEAD because of your kind! Were you really that optimistic to think I would be all hunky-dory with helping you out?” He scowled between pants. He seemed to be tiring himself out again once more which was good news for you but also bad because you don’t know how much longer he could hold you up here for. You really did not want to land face-first on the ground, especially from this height. You would probably be knocked out for quite a bit if that happened although that might just be his plan to snap your neck. It sucked ass because you couldn’t even do anything except await your fate. Screw magic being cool, this was terrifying. 

You could feel some sort of grip tighten around you as he clutched his hand into a first. You could feel your capability to move leave the building as well with your capability to breathe. One was obviously more important than the other as you began to choke. You could practically feel his anger with the hold he had on you. He really wanted you dead.

“So, I’m only saying this once more and even you should be able to get the message. Leave me be.” He warned before setting you down. He made sure to squeeze once more before fully releasing you. It seemed to snatch all the energy out of your body for a moment because once he let you go, you collapsed to the ground. Your entire body felt weak as you tried to catch your breath. 

He left you there as he walked away towards the stairs. You groaned as you stood up against your body’s wishes. You really shouldn’t be chasing after him, but you weren’t about to lose him. Not when you could stop him. You managed a quick walking pace as you went after him. He was far enough ahead but he seemed to be stammering. His hand was still clutched against his waist as he had a small limp. You were satisfied you did a number on him as he seemed to do one on you too. However, you had to note how he wasn’t bleeding nearly as much and it even seemed like the cut was just a bit smaller than what it originally was. Did he know healing magic too?

He seemed to finally notice your presence chasing after him, well more so tailing him since neither of you was capable of running. You were a bit faster than him though due to the length of your legs and the fact your legs weren’t directly attacked unlike him. Plus, magic seemed to wear someone out rather quickly if used excessively.

You could hear his grumble in irritation as he just walked faster, trying to get away from you. It looked like he didn’t have any more energy to fight you with, but luckily you did for once you caught up to him. You were finally getting closer but he somehow managed to finally break into a sprint to speed up this pathetic chase scene. Now it was your turn to groan in irritation as you now had to sprint although you really didn’t want to. 

You chased him down a couple of other corridors and stairways as he seemed to have the stamina of a horse. You don’t know how he had it, but that would explain why the gap between the two of you was getting greater. You even sheathed your sword a little bit ago to help you run a bit faster, but he still kept his same steady pace. He was a quick little motherfucker that had the stamina to keep it up. This may prove to be a challenge. You were lucky it wasn’t too big of a gap that you managed to see the room he ran into. Whatever that room was, it seemed important enough for him to run all the way to that specific room instead of any other room. Important enough he even locked the room as you struggled to open it. 

You wanted to rip your hair out from all of this. You couldn’t manage to do one thing right the entire time you’ve been on this trip. Sure, you woke him up, but at what cost? The very little sanity you had left was dissipating every single second you had to deal with him and now it was going at a faster rate. Sure, you could understand why he was so hostile, but you’ve been nothing but patient with him. Well, at least you were sure you were. 

Frankly, you had no idea what to do in this situation because no matter how hard you pounded on the door, he wouldn’t reply. He must’ve shut it with magic because no matter what you did, the door wasn’t budging. Plus, the last time you checked, none of these doors had locks. That was just evidence with how old this place really was. You could try making a hole in the door with your sword, but that would most likely do more damage to your sword than the door. You weren’t about to risk that, especially since you didn’t have a spare or a place to sharpen it. You still had to make the trip back after all and if you never found what you two were looking for, this could be the last sword you’d have access to for a while. 

You kicked the door one last time in irritation to make sure he knew you were thoroughly pissed off right now. You were sure the kick he sent to your face earlier made your nose bleed and it was sure to leave a nasty bruise. You were just lucky you left your shades back in the infirmary because those would’ve shattered instantly. You would never hear the end of this from Rose by being beat by a two-hundred-something-year-old man. Yet, she might be your best bet for help, even if she was on the complete opposite side of the castle. You really didn’t want to go all of that way because maybe he was just waiting for you to leave to come out, so you decided against it.

If he was going to play a waiting game, so were you. Plus, he was the one bleeding badly out of his side, even though you swore it was healing itself, but still he was bleeding. His hold on this door would eventually give in so you promised you wouldn’t give in. You sat down with your back pressed against the door so you could at least hear into the room. It sounded like he was shuffling around and sifting through things. Maybe that room really was important and you were hoping he somehow had a magical staff that amped his magical powers. Then you would really be fucked.

You huffed as you put your knees up to your chest before wrapping your arms around them. You rested your chin on top of your arms as you kept listening to him on the other side of the door. He seemed to further away from the door now as it sounded like he was looking through something, probably a desk if you had to guess. He seemed to finally be satisfied as the noise on the other side of the door stopped. You then heard him sifting through pages before sitting down. 

Oh great, he was going to read a book now. Of course he would. He had plenty of things to entertain himself with during this standstill and all you had was...yourself. Yeah, you weren’t that entertaining.

This was going to be so much fun.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You never noticed you ended up dozing off until the door finally opened and you fell back into the room he was in. It startled you awake as you quickly stood up and turned to face him. You knew he just saw that embarrassing moment, but he didn’t seem to be in the mood to harass you. In fact, he didn’t seem to be feeling much of...anything. He just stared off into space as he clutched a book to his chest. His eyes seemed puffy again which meant he was crying again. Whatever he read really got to him. 

“Jake.” He mumbled underneath his breath as he still didn’t look up at you. He still just kept looking off elsewhere. You were so distracted by his lack of emotion you completely missed what he said. Shit.

“What?” You asked which at least earned you his eyes back as he looked up towards you. He didn’t seem mad though, just more upset he had to repeat himself.

“Jake, my name is Jake.” He wearily said as he walked past you. You blinked in confusion as your brain processed what he just said.

Wait, he gave you his name.

Holy shit you were actually making progress.

You really didn’t know if you wanted to rejoice or slam your head into a wall if all of that only got his name out of him. You didn’t have time to ponder that as you turned on your heel to catch up to him. He didn’t try to run away as he made his way back to the infirmary with you tailing behind him. 

“Dirk. That’s my name.” You said as that earned a small chuckle out of him. You don’t know why he thought it was funny, but it seemed to cheer him up some so you would take that. Although you don’t know why it made you feel at ease that he was feeling a bit better, but it did. 

You two walked in silence the entire way back which was relaxing. He seemed suddenly more comfortable around you or at least tolerated you now. You have no idea what made him switch with his view on you, but you assumed it had something to do with that book. Whatever contents were inside must’ve persuaded him in some way to finally put some trust in you. You couldn’t tell if it was reluctant or not, but it was working. You would take it. 

Rose was waiting in the infirmary as she was pacing back and forth. Once she saw the two of you, she was shocked. You were sure it was over the fact that he was standing and moving fine on his own. You couldn’t tell if she was pleasantly surprised or angrier at the fact she was lied to. You were angry too in the beginning, but in all honesty, you had to give him props for being able to fool even Rose. 

“Before you ask anything, may I request to go to sleep for now? I’m rather tired and I promise once I wake up I’ll tell you two everything.” He said before he headed over to his bed and promptly took off his shoes before laying down. He didn’t waste any time going to bed as Rose shot a look towards you, begging for you to tell her everything that happened. You sighed at the realization you would have to tell her about the fight you two had. 

Wait, his cut. That was kind of a problem, wasn’t it?

You quickly went to his bed which seemed to shock him as you pulled down his sheet to look at his side. Your eyes widened as the cut was now completely healed. He somehow also didn’t seem to notice as he looked down at his own cut that was now just a scar. He looked back and forth between the cut and you as if he hoped you would have some sort of explanation. So that wasn’t his doing? What the fuck. 

“Is your sword enchanted or something?!” He yelped as you saw the look of distress on his face. He was healed so you don’t know why it was all bad, but definitely weird. 

“God no. We don’t have that kind of shit around Derse. It was banned actually.” You said as you were honestly quite puzzled what the hell was going on. Rose now joined you two as she tried to understand what was going on from what the two of you were saying. You didn’t really feel like explaining, so you just pointed to your sword and then to his side. She then looked at his side and saw how blood stained his clothes and even had dried blood on his skin, but there wasn’t any cut to be seen. 

He frantically flipped through the book as if it had some sort of answer to his problems. It seemed to work with his trust, so maybe it would give an answer to what was going on now.

“I really don’t have a fucking clue what the two of you got into while you were gone for those five hours, but I better get an explanation tomorrow. I think we’ll all just think clearer if we get some sleep.” She listless said as she rubbed her temples. You had to agree with her, even though you did doze off for quite a while by the door earlier. You were still tired but you refused to go to sleep with dried blood on your face. You also refused to let...er, Jake sleep with dried blood on him. It was weird saying his name now, but you didn’t mind it too much. 

You went over to grab one of the rags hanging on the wall before dipping it in the water bucket you brought in here a few days ago. It served mainly for washing purposes and right now definitely was a good washing purpose. 

You walked back over towards Jake before you began cleaning off his side. He seemed like he wanted to protest at first, but he actually didn’t stop you. In fact, all he did was hiss through his teeth with how cold the water was against his skin. You really don’t know why that water was still cold, but you weren’t complaining. You could’ve let him do it himself, but you just wanted to get the blood off of your face as quickly as possible. Yet, you still needed to gain more of his trust, so you cleaned his up first. 

Once you finished with his side, you went back over to the bucket and rinsed his blood off of the rag before cleaning your own face. You looked in the shattered mirror to clean it off the best you could before rinsed off the rag once more. You then hung it up to dry before going to your own bed. As soon as your head collided with the pillow, you were out.

For once, you had a good feeling about this.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Thanks for reading the first chapter of my newest story! This is my first time posting here, but I hope you all enjoy it! I can't wait to see you in the next chapter!  
> (Also if you are confused about parts of the plot, I promise all will be revealed ;) Can't give away everything from the start, right?)  
> (P.S, I can't promise all chapters will be as long as this one! I don't like writing short chapters though so expect hefty length each time!)


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